The Good Guys: How Character Strengths Drive Kids’ Entertainment Wins
Do movies that feature character strengths and life skills make more money at the box office than movies that don’t?
For this study, CSS worked with Common Sense Media and their extensive library of films tagged for featuring Character Strengths — characteristics that encompass moral character values and social-emotional skills that underscore ethical behavior and qualities needed for thriving within social institutions — to determine the relationship between the presence of these attributes and box office performance.
This research was funded by:
Special thanks to:
Main Findings
Movies containing character strengths and life skills are not only preferred by parents, as demonstrated in previous research, but also by audiences worldwide. Our findings show that the number of character strengths and skills in movies is directly related to box office performance both in the United States and worldwide.
Previous Research
The Power of Storytelling: Media and Positive Character Development
This is the first report that CSS released, back in 2019. This study examines media content tagged by Common Sense Media for featuring character strengths and life skills. The findings indicate that both parents and children prefer media content that promotes social and emotional learning (SEL), including qualities such as compassion, gratitude, and teamwork.
What is SEL?
Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) refers to methods used to help people better get in touch with their own emotions and develop empathy for others.
Continuing This Work
At CSS, we know that storytellers care deeply about the content they are putting into the world, in particular, targeted to youth. In partnership with child development experts and social scientists, we can work together to integrate these Character Strengths in a way that enhances the storytelling and has a positive impact on youth.
CSS is proud to be working with the John Templeton Foundation to develop resources to support content creators who are interested in ensuring their stories have a positive impact. We look forward to sharing these tools widely in the coming months.
